To Really Know the Disease: Creating a Participatory Community Education Workshop about Taenia solium Focused on Physical, Economic, and Epidemiologic Evidence.

Cysticercosis, caused by Taenia solium, is a neglected disease that causes preventable epilepsy. We conducted an experiential learning workshop in northern Peru to educate community members on T. solium transmission and motivate participation in community-led prevention and control. The workshop included presentation of local economic and epidemiologic data, followed by hands-on participation in pig dissection, group discussion of the T. solium life cycle, and viewing of eggs and nascent tapeworms with light microscopes. Among heads of household, we used community survey data to compare knowledge of the three-stage parasite life cycle at baseline and 2 months postworkshop. Knowledge of the life cycle increased significantly after the workshop, with greater gains for workshop attendees than non-attendees. Prior knowledge and workshop attendance were significant predictors of postworkshop knowledge. The use of local evidence and experiential learning positively affected knowledge of T. solium transmission, laying the foundation for subsequent community-engaged control efforts.

From Start-up to Sustainability: A Decade of Collaboration to Shape the Future of Nursing.

AIM: This article describes progress the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education has made toward addressing the academic progression goals provided by the 2011 Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health report. BACKGROUND: The history of the consortium's development is described, emphasizing the creation of an efficient and sustainable organization infrastructure that supports a shared curriculum provided through a community college/university partnership. METHOD: Data and analysis describing progress and challenges related to supporting a shared curriculum and increasing access and affordability for nursing education across the state are presented. RESULTS: We identified four crucial attributes of maintaining collaborative community that have been cultivated to assure the consortium continues to make progress toward reaching the Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing goals. CONCLUSION: Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education provides important lessons learned for other statewide consortiums to consider when developing plans for sustainability.

Developing the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education: the back story.

The Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education (OCNE) is a collaborative partnership between community colleges and a multicampus university in Oregon that developed in response to an emerging nursing shortage and changing health needs in the population. OCNE has created a redesigned curriculum with shared agreements for academic standards, admission, and seamless transition from associate to baccalaureate programs. Although the schools share pedagogical resources, curriculum, and standards, each partner school retains autonomy and accountability for its degree program. The creation and continued development of the consortium required the participation of people from multiple organizations with diverse concerns. Through a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded evaluation of OCNE, this retrospective analysis was conducted to describe the process of consensus building that resulted in OCNE and to provide an explanatory framework for the benefit of others who are seeking to redesign nursing education in their communities.